IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,627,965
Granted Patent B2
US 12,627,965 · App. 18/229,167 · Granted May 12, 2026

Reduced messaging to the UDM during an AMF handover

Inventors: Subramania Kaushik (Bellevue, WA); Anil Kumar Mariyani (Ashburn, VA)
Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc.
H04W8/08H04W8/18H04W36/0011H04W60/04
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,627,965
App. No.
18/229,167
Granted
May 12, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An access and mobility management function (AMF) configured to obtain subscriber profile information without sending a get message and a subscribe message to a unified data management node (UDM) is described herein. The AMF is a new AMF that receives a registration request as part of a handover from an old AMF and receives user equipment (UE) context information from the old AMF. Without sending a get message to the UDM, the AMF obtains subscriber profile information by either fetching the subscriber profile information from an unstructured data storage function (UDSF) shared by a pool of AMFs, when the UDSF is available, or receiving the subscriber profile information from old AMF, when the UDSF is not available. Also, without sending a subscribe message to the UDM, the AMF receives notification of changes to the subscriber profile information from the UDM.

Claims (40)

1 . A method comprising:

receiving, by a new access and mobility management function (AMF), a registration request as part of a handover from an old AMF to the new AMF;

receiving, by the new AMF, user equipment (UE) context information from the old AMF;

without sending a get message to a unified data management node (UDM), obtaining, by the new AMF, subscriber profile information, the obtaining including either:

when an unstructured data storage function (UDSF) shared by a pool of AMFs that includes at least the old AMF and new AMF is available, fetching the subscriber profile information from the UDSF, and

when the UDSF is not available, receiving the subscriber profile information from old AMF; and

without sending a subscribe message to the UDM, receiving from the UDM, by the new AMF, notification of changes to the subscriber profile information.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the subscriber profile information includes at least one of access management information, session management information, or subscriber data.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the UE context information includes at least one of UE mobility management information, security context information, a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI), 5G global unique temporary identifier (5G GUTI), or UE capabilities.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising, in response to receiving the registration request, sending, by the new AMF, a registration message to the UDM.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the UDM, upon receiving the registration message, sends to the new AMF the notification of changes to the subscriber profile information.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the UDM tracks changes to the subscriber profile information and obtains an identifier of the new AMF from information received from the new AMF or stored by a unified data repository (UDR) to enable the UDM to send the notification of changes to the new AMF.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the UDSF is shared across AMFs of multiple locations or multiple AMF pools.

8 . A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a plurality of programming instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure a new access and mobility management function (AMF) to perform operations including:

receiving a registration request as part of a handover from an old AMF to the new AMF;

receiving user equipment (UE) context information from the old AMF;

without sending a get message to a unified data management node (UDM), obtaining subscriber profile information, the obtaining including either:

when an unstructured data storage function (UDSF) shared by a pool of AMFs that includes at least the old AMF and new AMF is available, fetching the subscriber profile information from the UDSF, and

when the UDSF is not available, receiving the subscriber profile information from old AMF; and

without sending a subscribe message to the UDM, receiving from the UDM notification of changes to the subscriber profile information.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the subscriber profile information includes at least one of access management information, session management information, or subscriber data.

10 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the UE context information includes at least one of UE mobility management information, security context information, a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI), 5G global unique temporary identifier (5G GUTI), or UE capabilities.

11 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the operations further include in response to receiving the registration request, sending, by the new AMF, a registration message to the UDM.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the UDM, upon receiving the registration message, sends to the new AMF the notification of changes to the subscriber profile information.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the UDM tracks changes to the subscriber profile information and obtains an identifier of the new AMF from information received from the new AMF or stored by a unified data repository (UDR) to enable the UDM to send the notification of changes to the new AMF.

14 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the UDSF is shared across AMFs of multiple locations or multiple AMF pools.

15 . A non-transitory computer storage medium having a plurality of programming instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, configure a new access and mobility management function (AMF) to perform operations comprising:

receiving a registration request as part of a handover from an old AMF to the new AMF;

receiving user equipment (UE) context information from the old AMF;

without sending a get message to a unified data management node (UDM), obtaining subscriber profile information, the obtaining including either:

when an unstructured data storage function (UDSF) shared by a pool of AMFs that includes at least the old AMF and new AMF is available, fetching the subscriber profile information from the UDSF, and

when the UDSF is not available, receiving the subscriber profile information from old AMF; and

without sending a subscribe message to the UDM, receiving from the UDM notification of changes to the subscriber profile information.

16 . The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the subscriber profile information includes at least one of access management information, session management information, or subscriber data.

17 . The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the UE context information includes at least one of UE mobility management information, security context information, a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI), 5G global unique temporary identifier (5G GUTI), or UE capabilities.

18 . The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise, in response to receiving the registration request, sending, by the new AMF, a registration message to the UDM.

19 . The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 18 , wherein the UDM, upon receiving the registration message, sends to the new AMF the notification of changes to the subscriber profile information.

20 . The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the UDM tracks changes to the subscriber profile information and obtains an identifier of the new AMF from information received from the new AMF or stored by a unified data repository (UDR) to enable the UDM to send the notification of changes to the new AMF.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 1, 2023
From: KAUSHIK, SUBRAMANIA; MARIYANI, ANIL KUMAR
To: T-MOBILE USA, INC.
Reel/Frame 064459/0922 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20250048075A1 · Feb 6, 2025
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